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NY State Lawmaker Targets Cashless Toll System That He Says 'Has Problems'

NYACK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Nyack resident Lisa Buckley says she receives notices in the mail month after month telling her she has an overdue balance for highway tolls.

But here's the catch: "I was being charged late fees for the bills that I had paid on time," Buckley told CBS2's Marc Liverman.

The late fees were $5 on each bill. But Buckley says it isn't about the money.

"It was just the principle that I had submitted the payment on time, and yet they weren't processing the payments," she said. "Why was I being penalized for their inefficiency?"

cashless tolls
(credit: CBS2)

Assemblyman Tom Abinanti said this isn't the only inefficiency the state's cashless toll system has.

"The system has problems from beginning to end," he said. "They have problems reading the license plates. They have problems connecting the license plates with the proper owners."

Another problem is what he calls "stop and seize."

"We should not be pulling people out of their vehicles, seizing their vehicles because there is a dispute over tolls," he said.

So Abinanti and state Sen. David Carlucci proposed the Toll Payer Protection Act.

They hope the bill would eliminate some of the confusion for toll payers and force agencies to be more transparent when it comes to fees and fines.

Under the proposal, people would have an option on how to be notified, either by text, e-mail or regular mail. There would be a process for disputing fees. And people could set up a payment plan.

The Thruway Authority said it has already implemented a six-point action plan to improve the customer experience. In a statement, the agency told CBS2: "We continue to work with our contractor to enhance the billing process and advance outreach about cashless tolling."

But that isn't stopping Abinanti from proposing the bill to make sure. He said he hopes the legislation will be passed before the end of session in June.

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